Phantom Relations
by Gale-Dragon
Summary: Ghost children are not born, they are manifested. And when these ghost children manifest they need Adult Ghosts to take care of them... But, what if three different Ghosts find three different children and take them in to raise as their own? Take a peek into this timeline to find out. Just a little 'What If' timeline about Clockwork, Nocturne, and Walker being parents.


Phantom Relations Prologue

~}i{~

"Talking or Quoting"

'Thinking'

_Writing_

**Locations**

~}i{~

Ghost children are not born, they are manifested.

When a child dies in the Living World, their spirit manifests in the Ghost Zone in one particular location. No one is sure why, but in all honesty, every ghost is glad that it is how it is. It made it easy to find these ghost children and help them acclimate to the new surroundings.

To keep track of these ghost children and make sure that they are taking care of properly, a system was put into effect. The system is similar to how adoptions are done in the Living World. It allows ghosts to raise a child of their own, to help nurture and care for a young spirit so that they may live in the Ghost Zone.

Another interesting fact about ghost children is that they can "inherit" their parent(s)'/caretaker(s)' ability if they are properly cared for, and are taught to control said abilities.

That is how the Ghosts Zone works.

The location where the ghost children, or sprites as the other ghost-like to call them, manifest has been called the Point of Sprite Origin, or PoSO.

The PoSO are run by specific ghosts to ensure the care and well-being of the sprites that manifest there.

~}i{~

**Ghost Zone, PoSO Building Adoption Center.**

Walker (canon appearance), looked over the Caretaker form in his hand, making sure there was nothing against regulations. When he found none, he stamped the form with "Approved" in bright red ink. As soon as those letters appeared, the document turned into a wisp and flew out of the office.

Walker stood up and stretched a bit. As much as he enjoyed enforcing the rules of the ghost zone, he also had to make sure that the ghosts who take in sprites care for them within the scope of the law. He couldn't say that it wasn't hard to do both jobs, but it was needed, and he was the best when he came to enforcing rules and regulations. Hence why Walker was in charge of the Adoption Regulations section of the PoSO building.

"It might be a good idea to relax before your shift that the prison, Walker," a voice said from the doorway of the office.

Walker knew that voice.

The warden turned towards the door when he said, "Hello, Clockwork. Is there a meetin' today?"

Clockwork (canon appearance) shook his head when he said, "Not for another week and a half. We're here for more of a personal matter."

Walker raised a brow when he thought, 'We?'

Clockwork floated into the office, followed by Nocturne (canon appearance but without the scar over his eye). Walker was relatively surprised by the dream ghost's presence.

That was when Nocturne handed Walker a Caretaker Application. The warden took the document, looked it over, and asked in a curious tone, "You want to become a parent?"

Nocturne folded his arms and said, "I'd do, and I have a right to be one. I'm sure I filled out the application to standards."

Walker looked at the dream ghost and said, "I'm aware of the standards for takin' in sprites, considerin' that I was the one who set it up. I'm just surprised that you actually wanna raise one."

Nocturne raised a brow in amusement when he said, "Oh? If this is you surprised, then I wonder how you would feel after Clockwork's news."

Now Walker was confused. While the prison warden didn't interact with the Master of Time outside the PoSO, he could very well call him a "work friend".

Clockwork placed two sheets of paper on the warden's desk and floated back to watch his reaction. Curious, Walker picked up the first page and read it. To put it simply, if the warden wasn't already chalked white, he would've paled and what he was reading.

Walker looked at Clockwork in utter shock when he asked in a bewildered tone, "YOU want to take in a sprite?!"

Calmly but amused, Clockwork said, "I do, and I already have a particular sprite in mind. Though that sprite isn't here yet."

Walker, shaking his head to make sure he heard right, gasped before asking, "Do the Observants know about this? Because I'm sure they would have voiced their opinions about this?"

Giving an amused smile, Clockwork said, "Ah~ yes, they would have, and they would have voiced their opinions quite loudly and clearly. But they wouldn't do anything about it. They only observed and never act." Walker knew that much was true about the Observants. With that smile still on his face, Clockwork stated, "Besides, this is as it should be."

Walker knew better than to ask for more specifics, the only thing Clockwork would say is that "it will be revealed in due time", especially when it came to keeping the timeline on track, or something along that line. The warden rubbed the back of his neck when he said, "All right, I'll get these submitted, but both of you aren't gettin' any help from me, and I'm NOT gettin' in the middle of you when those Observants find out."

"We know," Nocturne said with a smug smile, earning a glare from Walker. The dream ghost lowered his arms when he said, "Besides those pesky watchers will be most thankful when they finally know about our adoption paperwork."

Walker highly doubted that. Those green, one-eyed watchers only cared about keeping timeline and events on track, no matter what said events were. Especially since Pariah Dark was sealed in the Sarcophagus of Forever Sleep.

That was when Clockwork broke the warden's thoughts by saying, "Well, that's all the time we have for now. I will see you at the next PoSO meeting Walker." The Master of Time then left with the dream ghost.

The only thing Walker did was give them a small wave before gathering all the paperwork to get to the processor clerk at the start application desk.

Both Clockwork and Nocturne floated down the corridors of the PoSO building, passing by all the rooms for all the different sprites of different ages and "traumas".

}{

The sprites that manifest when they are either too young to understand or died without registering that they did are cared for by Nurse Ghosts. These ghosts help those sprites acclimate to their new surroundings.

}{

A door suddenly bends before smoke slip through the seems. Nocturne paused at this. "Don't," Clockwork told the dream ghost before adding, "That sprite is a new arrival, let the Doctors handle this." Nocturne knew what the Master of Time meant and thus followed him as they headed out.

}{

Sprites that manifest when they die a violent death or are completely aware of their death tend to be hostile and scared. The sprites are to be carefully cared for by Doctor Ghosts, who are specially trained to handle and soothed them. These types of sprites need to be carefully cared for until they are ready to be adopted out.

}{

"How can any human being the harm such a young thing?" Nocturne asked Clockwork as they continued on their way, passing more doors with more of a happier tone.

"Do you want me to answer that?" Was all Clockwork said, but by the tone, you couldn't tell whether he asked a question or statement.

"Sorry, brother, I didn't mean to say that out loud," Nocturne told Clockwork as they passed a room where an interview was being held.

"I figured," Clockwork said softly, before adding, "While, I do understand your feelings on the poor sprites that form here under "Unfavorable" circumstances, you do need to know that not all of those circumstances are by the hands of a human."

Nocturne sighed before saying, "I know, I guess I do tend to just jump to that conclusion. I'll come back later to give that poor sprite a nice dream to help the doctors out."

Clockwork gave his brother a soft smile. "That will help a great deal," the Master of Times said as they came across a ghost with their newly acquired sprite (that appeared to be no older than two). Both Clockwork and Nocturne gave a polite nod to the new caretaker, who in turn gave a polite nod back. Then everyone continued on the way.

Once the ghosts of time and sleep were outside the PoSO building, they flew off.

"I should scold to for giving away too much information," Clockwork told Nocturne in a tone that to be a mixture of sternness and playfulness.

Nocturne laughed when he said, "Oh, Clockwork, my dear brother, I only said what was needed. Besides, aren't you a little worried about Walker?"

}i{ **Back at the PoSO Building** }i{

Walker handed the sheets of paper to the clerk in charge of processing potential caretakers. The clerk thanks the warden as he headed off to the prison. The clerk looked over the applications and mild shock before smiling a bit. The ghost then files the papers in alphabetical order to be processed tomorrow.

Clockwork's voice: "I don't have to worry about him all that much. The worst he'll do is not talk to me during the usual PoSO meetings."

The clerk placed Clockwork's file under "C" and then filed Nocturne's file under "N".

Nocturne's voice: "*Amused tone* Oh? You mean he's not going to throw you in his prison?"

Clockwork's voice: "What for? It is in every ghost's rights, isn't it? Therefore, I am not breaking any of his precious rules."

The clerk then filed the final application with Walker's name under "W".

Nocturne's voice: "*Chuckles* But he's going to be angry when he finds out."

Clockwork's voice: "You don't need my powers to know that's going to happen."

}i{ Back with Clockwork and Nocturne }i{

Nocturne twirled around as he flew ahead of Clockwork before saying happily, "We'll have our sprites to raise and care for."

Clockwork smiled at his brother when he said, "Now, now, Nocturne. I only told you because I need your help to ensure that certain events will happen as they should be, but you still need to keep calm and not get too excited."

Nocturne only smiled when he said, "My apologies, Clock. But can you blame me? You told me what will happen, so how could I not be excited?"

"Just do your best not to give away what I have revealed to you, it will increase the chances of altering the timeline," was all Clockwork said to his brother.

Nocturne slowed down his pace, so he was flying beside the Master of Time when he asked, "But are you sure Walker will be a good parent? I'm aware he ensures that sprites are taking care of, but can he himself raise one?"

With an all-knowing smile, Clockwork only said, "That will be revealed in time."

~}i{ 15 Years Later }i{~

"All right, Danny, the punks are headin' your way. Be ready to stop them when they're in range," a teenage girl's voice said over the headset.

A 14-year-old ghost with snow-white hair, glowing green eyes on light red sclera, wearing a jumpsuit that had a purple body with blue boots and gloves that was paired with a knee-length purple cloak that cascade over his left shoulder that was held together with a clock gear clip with the letters 'DP' etched into it peaked out from his hiding place to see two small figures in the distance getting bigger and closer. He tapped his headset and replied, "I see the targets. I can stop them without much trouble."

"So you say," the girl on the other end of the intercoms snipped with a slight chuckle.

The white-haired ghost rolled his eyes before locking them onto the targets.

He was going to make this capture as smooth as possible. He took a deep breath before muttering to himself, "Okay, Danny, you can stop them. You've practised this 183 times, you can stop them easily and just cuff them." He then waited for the targets to get a little bit closer.

The moment the targets were close enough, Danny activated his special ghost power when he tapped on his clock gear pinned and said out loud, "Time out!" The moment these words were spoken, the targets froze in place as if a pause button was pressed.

"I did it? Yes! I did it!" Then he exclaimed excitedly as he jumped, pumping one of his fists in the air. That's when he realized that he needed to cuff the targets before the effects of his Time Pause for off. So, Danny quickly grabbed the handcuffs that were specially designed for ghost apprehension and quickly flew over to the targets. He moved the targets' arms behind their backs before cuffing them. That was when Danny had the idea of tying the legs of the target together since these targets had legs. So he quickly did it, and just in time too.

The moment Danny's Time Pause wore off, the targets immediately toppled over due to the sudden lack of momentum in their arms and legs. The targets then rolled and then crashed into some nearby boulders.

Denny then said into the headset, "Capture complete. You can drop by anytime you want." The target glared at the young phantom with earnest.

"10-4. I'm on the way now," the female for us said over the headset for the line went silent.

Danny smiled a little bit before he noticed that the targets were trying to crawl away in a wormlike motion. But neither target was moving any faster than a snail's pace.

"Can't believe we got ourselves caught by a halfa," one of the targets mumbled under their breath while trying to scoot away, before miserably falling to their sides.

Danny folded his arms before saying, "Well, can't say either of you were a challenge." He floated a little closer before an image of one of the targets trying to kick his legs flashed in front of his eyes. Danny stopped just out of the target's range. The teen then said, "But seriously, dudes, this could have all been easily avoided if you just stayed out of trouble."

Then one of the targets kicked their legs out at Danny, but since he was just a little out of range, the target and up falling flat on their belly.

Danny couldn't help but sigh at the last-ditch attempt by the targets.

"So tell me, Danny, and did you see that coming?" A familiar for spring out overhead.

Danny glanced up to see a teenage girl around 14-years-old with chin-length raven black hair that had a small lose topknot on the back of her head, wore a black shirt with a purple circle in the centre under a white jacket, a black and purple plaid slacks paired with black combat boots, and had purple eyes and lips that were painted purple. The most unusual thing about her in the Ghost Zone was that she had pale skin. She smiled when she said, "I was being serious, Phantom."

Danny smiled when he replied, "Well, can't say it was hard to see, Sam."

Sam shrugged her shoulders before she floated down and yanked one of the targets by the cuffs.

"Hey!" Was all that vocalized by one of the two targets as both targets were hauled away by the whitette and ravenette.

~}i{ Roughly 10 Minutes Later}i{~

Sam and Danny dropped off the targets at the bounty office. The ghost officers thanked them for their work.

"Hey, Sam," one of the officers called out as the two teams were heading out. "Your father, err, I mean, the warden wants to see you and Phantom. He's got the payment from the last bounty you brought in," the ghost officers said as he pointed his thumb at the warden's office.

Sam nodded and said, "Thanks Murray, and keep up the good work."

Denny gave an awkward nod at Officer Murray smiled at them as they headed off towards the warden's office.

As they walked/floated, Danny asked Sam, "How can you tell them apart? All the officers look the same to me."

Sam shrugged with a smirk when she said, "Known all of them my whole afterlife, remember?"

Danny rolled his eyes and said, "I think you mean "life", but I guess you can spot the difference between them if you've known them that long."

Sam playfully elbowed Danny when she said, "That's slang is for the Human World, not the Ghost Zone."

"Good point," Danny said as he started smoothing out his messy hair and fixing his cloak. Sam raised a curious brow at this. Danny notice and said, "I don't want to give him any reason to hate me more than already does."

Sam rolled her eyes when she said, "Kinda wish he didn't. *Then looks at Danny*. What did you do to make him hate you so much?"

"In all honesty, I don't know. I guess he just doesn't like me," Danny replied with a sigh as they came up to the office door.

Sam knocked on the door three times. When they heard a voice from inside telling them to come in, the two teens did.

"Hey, dad. How were the prisoners today?" Sam asked Walker as he was looking over the paperwork in front of him.

Walker gave a small hum before replying with his eyes still on the paperwork, "Just the usual punks tryin' to cause trouble, nothin' that my men couldn't handle easily enough. Anythin' on your end, hun?"

Sam shrugged her shoulders as she glanced at Danny and said, "Oh, just the usual punks who think they can get away from us."

Walker gave another small hum as he picked up two envelopes on his desk before saying, "Speakin' of, here's the bounty for the last punk you brought in Sam. I'll let you know when the bounty for your recent apprehension is in."

Sam folded her arms and said with a frown, "Uh, dad, Danny helped with the punks too, you know."

This made Walker look up from his paperwork, but it only allowed him to glare at Danny. "Rather not think about that," the warden said as he stood up from his desk. He walked over to Sam and handed her the envelopes containing the bounty the two teens have earned.

Sam handed the envelope with Danny's name on it to the team in question before she asked the warden, "You split the bounty exactly in half, right?"

Walker folded his arms behind his back when he said, "Only because you asked me to, hun." Sam rolled her eyes at that, mostly because she knew that was probably the only reason he did split the bounty.

That was when Danny's cell phone dinged an alert. The white-haired teen knew what this alert was for. "That's kind of my cue to leave for the Human World," Danny said with a nervous undertone.

Walker folded his arms in front of his chest when he stated, "You know where the exit is, punk."

"Daddy!" Sam vocalized in annoyance.

"Uh, yeah, I mean, yes sir," Danny said nervously as he looked at Walker. The white-haired teen then looked at his friend and said with a bit more of a smile, "See you at school, Sam." That was when he caught a glare from Walker. "Uh, bye!" Danny said quickly, before getting out of their faster than Sam noticed her father, glaring at her friend and her saying "Daddy!" in annoyance.

Danny flew out of the prison, and towards his destination. The half-ghost let out a breath he didn't know he was holding once the prison was out of sight. As much as Danny considered Sam a friend, her father scared him to full-death.

Then he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly dialled a number. It barely rang once before the one on the other end picked up.

"Ah, Daniel, right on time," Danny heard Clockworks say into the phone.

Danny smiled and said, "Aren't I always, Papa." The half-ghost heard the Master of Time chuckle on the other end of the line.

Clockworks then said, "On your way to the Fenton Portal." It wasn't a question, that the halfa knew.

"I am," Danny said as he avoided one of the floating rocks. The white-haired teen then asked Clockworks and a bit of a timid tone, "Hey, uh, Papa, is there a reason why warden Walker doesn't like me? I mean, I don't get in trouble, err... Big trouble at least. And I follow the rules in both the Ghost Zone and Human World…"

Danny could practically see the Master of Time smiling that all-knowing smile of his when he said, "Ah, it's just because he is Sam's father, and fathers with daughters tend to be a bit more protective of them."

"Walker does know that Sam can easily defend herself, right?" Danny asked as he weaves through the maze of floating rocks. The half-ghosts had a feeling that he wasn't being told everything.

"Doubt that will stop him from worrying," Clockwork said with a soft chuckle.

That was when Danny asked, "Is Uncle Nocturne the same? You know, with the 'Protective of His Daughter' thing?"

Clockwork chuckled as he replied, "Of course he is, but he doesn't show it as openly as Walker does. You'll only see that side of him when he knows that Jasmine is really in trouble, or if someone is having naughty dreams about her. Plus, you're his favourite nephew and I doubt he'll hurt you in any way."

Danny couldn't help but chuckle at that. Although, he wasn't sure if it was out of nervousness, relief, or if he found that funny.

"By the way, how are you handling the powers you're inheriting from me?" Clockwork asked, but Danny knew the Master of Time was smiling.

As Danny flew on course, he said, "I'm nowhere near your level, but I'm managing. Although the Future Flashes sometimes come up at inconvenient times. Don't get me wrong, they are helpful, but is there a way to kind of control them better?"

"Oh, you'll find that out soon enough," Clockwork said mischievously and the team knew he was smiling.

Danny gave an audible sigh before saying, "Really, Papa? You can't tell me?"

Clockwork chuckled before saying, "Sorry, Daniel, but you know you can't depend on me for everything time-related. You are going to have to find out how to control some of those time powers yourself. Plus, I didn't I say that you would control those Future Flashes soon~." It was easy to tell that the Master of Time was enjoying this a little too much.

"I get it, I get it," Danny said with a small smile. He knew that the master of time was right, he couldn't depend on him every time his time powers develop. But it was nice to talk about them to Clockwork, even if he couldn't help all the time. You know, someone to talk to who's been there and done that.

"Oh? I see the Fenton Portal now," Danny said when he saw the swirling vortex of neon green, white, and black coming into view.

"Ah, Nocturne and Jasmine should be there within the next minute," Clockwork told Danny over the phone. That was when he then added, "Make sure you take notes in class today, Daniel, tests are coming up."

"Okay, Papa, I'll talk to you later," Danny said as he landed on the ledge with the portal.

"I know you will," Clockwork said with a small smile when he hung up.

Danny smiled as he tucked the cell phone back into his pocket and waited.

It didn't take long before he saw Nocturne (canon appearance and now with the scar over his eye) and a teenage girl around 16 with a night scape-like knee-length dress with white leggings, pitch-black ankle boots, and a royal purple and black butterfly mask on her face that only exposed her nose, mouth, chin, and the lower sections of her cheeks. As the two got closer, you could see that the teenage girl's long hair was midnight black with specks of white dots scattered all over with some bright blue highlight streaking down in random locations and lengths, they kind of looked like shooting stars.

"Hi Uncle Nocturne, hey Jazz," Danny said loudly as he waved at the two as they got closer.

They both smiled and waved back at the halfa. Not even five seconds later, they landed on the portal ledge.

"I must say, you're taking after Clockwork when it comes to punctuality," Nocturne said as he folded his arms with an amused smile on his face.

Danny shrugged when he said, "I guess, but I do have more of his traits."

Nocturne smiled fondly as he glanced at the 16-year-old next to him when he said, "I can understand the sentiment."

"Aw, Dad," she groaned, rolling her ruby red eyes at the comment.

Danny couldn't help but smile when Nocturne said, "Come now, My Little Dreamlette, you know I'm proud that you're doing so well with your inherent powers."

"Jazz, just let him be proud of you. Besides, he's got work to do," Danny said as a white ring appeared around his midsection before splitting into two. One ring moving up and the other moving down and changing the teenage boy's appearance as they did so.

Once the white rings vanished, Danny now had raven black hair, bright blue eyes wore a white T-shirt with a red circle in the middle and red trimmings on the homes of the sleeves, long blue slacks that reached his ankles, and white and red sneakers.

Nocturne glanced at Jazz when he said, "And when I'm in a good mood, there's a low probability of me accidentally inducing nightmares."

"Logical point," Jazz said as the same white rings appeared around her midsection before splitting into two and moving in opposite directions and changing her appearance. Once the rings disappeared, Jazz now had elbow long orange hair with a blue headband, wore a black longsleeved shirt, ankle long blue slacks and black shoes that appear to be more like slip-on than actual shoes.

Nocturne wrapped an arm around each of the teams before saying, "All right, time to go into the Human World."

And with that, the two teens and the Ghost of Sleep and Dreams entered the Fenton Portal.

~}i{ **With Sam, Back in the Ghost Zone** }i{~

"Dad, I'm serious, why don't you like Danny?" Sam asked the prison warden as she set the table for two as he made dinner. She then added, "He's my best friend and Clockwork's sprite."

"I know that hun, but that doesn't mean I have to like him for just those reasons." Walker said before tasting the red sauce and muttering, "Needs another pinch of garlic."

Sam just rolled her eyes before saying, "He does help with catchin' the punks that cause trouble in both the Human World and here in the Ghost Zone. I figured you'd appreciate that."

Walker strain the pasta when he said, "You do the same too, but you keep to the rules."

Sam sighed and wondered why she was still doing this back-and-forth debate with her father about Danny. The prison warden always seems to have an excuse for not liking the halfa. But at least he seemed to be fine with the half-ghost being friends with Sam.

"Alright, grub's done," Walker said as he brought two plates of steaming pasta salad with red sauce, spinach, kale, chickpeas, and some small cubes of tofu to the table.

Sam closed her eyes, took a deep breath of the aroma, and said, "Yum, that smells delicious, Dad."

"Tastes good too," Walker said with a small smile as he sat down with his daughter at the table.

With that, they started eating.

~}i{ **Fenton Works** }i{~

Maddie and Jack Fenton (Both canon appearance) were working in their lab when Nocturne, Jazz, and Danny walked through their Fenton Portal.

The two Fenton adults were happy to see their children again as they pulled the two teens into a hug.

"Mom, dad, we told you that you don't have to do this every time we come here," Danny said, embarrassed by the two human adults' antics and Nocturne's amused chuckles.

But it was understandable as to why the Fenton adults always acted this way every time Danny and Jazz came through the Fenton Portal.

}i{ Flashback }i{

You see, 12 years ago, Jack and Maddie made a new prototype ghost portal. They mostly built it to continue their quest to enter the Ghost Zone, but with better calculations so that there would be a repeat of what happened to their dear friend Vlad Masters during college. The proto-portal was nothing grandiose or anything, it was barely a head bigger and wider than Jazz at the time, at four-years-old.

Jack and Maddie were careful when it came to their young children being in the lab. They made sure to childproof everything and make sure the kids' play area was as far from the tools and anything else that was dangerous to little hands. Luckily, Little Jazzy was more interested in teaching heard two-year-old brother what she had learned in pre-K that day than what her parents were doing. Little Danny was more instead and playing with his toys and whatever his sister was talking about than whatever the two adults were doing.

Then one day, it was the day the first proto-portal was complete, was when everything changed for the Fenton family.

Jack was holding toddler Danny in one arm and Little Jazzy in the other arm as Maddie put the final touches on the proto-portal.

"All right, that should be the last one," Maggie said as she took a step back to stand next to her husband and children to admire the design of their new prototype ghost portal.

"Let's test it out," Jack said cheerfully before adding, "But first, kids behind the safety glass for anything starts." He and the ginger-haired woman took the kids behind a nearby glass wall. As soon as everyone was behind the glass, Maddie had the start button for the proto-portal. Nothing but a weak spark emitted from the device.

"Huh, odd, I was sure I inputted the right equations," Maddie said before snatching up Little Danny, who was crawling out from behind the safety glass area.

Jack smiled and said, "No worries Maddie, well get it right eventually. Before Danny enters the first grade."

Maggie smiled fondly, but with a tang of 'oh boy' in her eyes. Jazzy rolled her eyes while Little Danny perked at the sound of his name.

Suddenly, a blast out of nowhere hit Jack Fenton right in the chest sending him flying halfway across the lab.

"Jack/Daddy!" Maddie and Jazzy shouted respectively as they tried to run over to the orange jumpsuit wearing man. The ginger-haired woman stopped suddenly. When she felt her free arm being held in place by some invisible force. At least, it was invisible until it became visible.

The invisible force turned out to be a sky blue-skinned ghost with a muscular looking form, had black hair that was pointed in a U-shape, a black goatee, had glowing red eyes, pointed fangs, this ghost wore a mostly white outfit consisting of white trousers and a white long-sleeved shirt, black gloves, the shirt was connected via a black belt and stems up to his neck, a black collar on his shirt although it does not extend up the neck, black boots, and a high collar cape connected around his neck that has a white exterior and a red interior lining.

"Unhand me, you ghost!" Maddie shouted, trying to pull away from the blue-skinned ghost as little Danny started to wail in terror. The ginger-haired woman instinctively hugged her son close to her. This only made the ghost tightened his grip on her.

"Oh no, you're coming with me," the vampiric looking ghost stated as he started floating upwards, about to take Maddie and little Danny with him. This ghost was determined to have these two humans and nothing was going to stop him from taking them.

Jack managed to get a hold of a Fenton Blaster and shot the ghost in white, causing him to lose his grip on Maddie. This started the chain of events that no one in the Fenton works would ever forget.

Sometime during the fight, Jazzy got little Danny and hid behind the defective proto-portal while her parents fought against the evil ghost in white. The little girl hugged her crying baby brother close, trying to comfort him and herself.

A stray ecto-beam from the ghost in white hit the proto-portal, causing it to suddenly start up correctly.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Jazzy shouted as she tried to move as fast as she could away from the proto-portal with her crying two-year-old brother in her arms. The device started sparking and then a bright neon green light emitted from the centre of it.

"Jazz! Danny!" Jack and Maddie shouted when they realized what was happening. They abandon the fight with the vampiric looking ghost in favour of saving the children.

The proto-portal bounced a bit before the neon green light shot out in a straight line, it only stopped when it hit the children from behind.

"No! Jazz! Danny!" The human adults shouted when the light, pulled the two screaming children into the proto-portal. Once the green light was back into the proto-portal, it sparked wildly before breaking into pieces and leaving only the echoes of the two little children's screams behind.

In both distraught and anger, the Fenton parents turn their attention completely on the ghost in white. Ignoring the fact that the ghost himself was also in a state of shock.

'This wasn't supposed to happen! It wasn't supposed to be like this,' the ghost in white thought before he was attacked by the enraged pair of Fentons.

The second round ended swiftly, but not painlessly. The vampiric ghost in white barely escaped intact while Jack and Maddie lost their children.

}i{ End Flashback }i{

It was after that day that Jack and Maddie Fenton spent over a decade trying to re-create the portal to get their children back. They never believed that Jazz and Danny were dead, and it was that belief that kept the two working on a way to make the portal functional.

Yes, the portal that took Jazzy and little Danny away from the human parents, but the portal did more than that. The portal rearranged their molecules and turned both of them into Half-Ghosts. Thankfully, Clockwork and Nocturne were in the area at the time. But it wasn't luck that brought the two powerful ghost entities to that particular location *hint*hint*.

Nocturne adopted Jazz while Clockwork adopted Danny after certain adoption papers were completed. Neither ghost wanted either child to forget, or not know about, their human parents, so Clockwork showed the two children some clips of their parents from time to time. The time ghost made sure to show them moments with all four of them together.

So when the Fenton Portal was up and running, Clockwork knew and help the family reunite after all this time. But there were a few problems that did arise, namely the whole custody of the children and how to explain to everyone in Amity Park how the Fenton children grew up without any problems. And that's not even including the whole fact that Jack and Maddie hated ghosts with a passion since the proto-portal incident.

Fortunately, Clockwork was the one to help negotiate all those particular problems. Mind you, Jack and Maddie Fenton were still distrusting of ghosts, but after Jazz and Danny confirmed that Nocturne and Clockwork did indeed took great care of them, the two human parents were more willing to trust the two powerful ghost entities. And just those two ghosts at the time.

}i{ Now Back to the Story }i{

Jack and Maddie pulled away from their children as the ginger-haired woman said, "Sorry, but we just can't help it."

Nocturne patted the two teens on the back when he said, "You eat dinner with your human parents, I'll be back later during my time to give everyone here some good dreams."

}{

While the Ghost Zone didn't have much of a day-and-night scene like Earth does, the ghosts did have a set sleep time. Mainly known as and referred to as "Nocturne's Time" to the residence of the Ghost Zone. As the Ghost of Sleep and Dreams, Nocturne's main duty to the Ghost Zone, and Earth in general, was to give the residents their "Night Time", "Sleep Time" or "Dream Time", whichever you prefer.

}{

Everyone nodded before Nocturne phased through the ceiling of the lab and flew off towards the darker hemisphere of Earth.

"Come on up, we got some homemade burgers waiting for us," Jack said with a goofy grin as everyone started on the way up into the Fenton's home.

"A classic meal," Danny said with a smile as they stepped into the kitchen area of the home.

A minute later, the Fenton family were at the table, happily chatting about recent events in the Ghost Zone and the Human World while they ate dinner.

~}i{ **Back in the Ghost Zone with Sam** }i{~

"Dad, I don't know how you always make your meals so tasty," Sam said with a satisfied smile as she patted her full stomach. The raven-haired girl could never figure out how someone as busy as her father was always able to make delicious, filling meals for the two of them, and sometimes the officers under the good warden.

Walker smiled as he gathered the place and cutlery as he said, "Well, hun, I got a good reason to do so."

"Aw, Dad," Sam said with a small smile before she took the items in her father's hands and stated, "You cooked, I'll clean." She then walked over to the sink with the plates and cutlery in hand. Sam then looked over her shoulder and said with a smile, "When I cook, you can clean the dishes."

Walker only smiled as he folded his arms in front of him, out of habit before he said as he started heading towards the main room, "All right, all right, hun. I can't argue about that kind of rule."

Sam only smiled as she started on the dishes.

Walker stepped into the main room. It didn't take long until he gravitated towards a shelf that was practically cluttered with photos. Well, it was organized clutter to the father/daughter duo. Walker's green eyes softened when he looked at the pictures. Roughly 80% of the photos were of Sam when she was little, between two and nine years old. Walker's eyes immediately focused on one of his favourite photos, a picture of a five-year-old Sam wearing his warden jacket that she somehow got a hold of when he took it off for a moment. In the photo, it was way too obvious that Walker's jacket was far too big for a little five-year-old Sam, the sleeves were being dragged on the ground with the rest of the jacket.

Walker's men found the whole thing just plain adorable and one of them snapped a photo of that moment in time. They, of course, gave a copy to their boss. In the past, Walker used to find his men taking pictures on the job annoying and unprofessional, even if they did take good pictures of his daughter, but now… He was glad that they did. Really glad.

Walker gently moved one photograph, revealing another photo behind it. This time it was a picture of a four-year-old Sam sitting in a lap of the warden's deputy, Bullet, as he appeared to be reading a book to her. In the image of this, Sam was holding a plush version of a ghostly police officer as she happily stared at the book that Bullet was holding in front of her as he read it to her.

Now, this particular picture was actually taken with Walker's approval, without the deputy knowing, of course. Walker couldn't help but find that particular moment humorous, given Bullet's opinion of little Sam during that time. Plus, neither of the two law enforcement officers were on duty during the taking of that picture.

To an outsider, they would have thought that the warden of the ghost prison had lost his mind when he took in a human infant (or a human sprite, depending on who you ask). But, despite what those ghosts say, Walker wouldn't have changed a thing about him adopting Sam.

"Time Out."

Everything froze in place at these very words, even the floating semi-transparent bubbles stopped in midair. Not a single thing moved.

}i{ Second Person's POV }i{

A clock gear-shaped medallion with the letters 'CW' on it appeared and was draped over your head. As soon as the medallion hits your skin, you can move.

"I'm sure you are very curious about this timeline," you to turn towards the voice to see Clockwork (in his elderly form) floating in the main room with a mischievous smile on his face. The Master of Time then said, "I know there are some obvious differences in this timeline, compared to the timelines you have seen." Clockwork then motions for you to come closer. "But, this is how it should be for this timeline," the Master of Time said as he shifted into his child form when he teleported the both of you to his lair. All kinds of timepieces decorated the walls.

You come across one particular wall that seems to be dedicated to Danny's childhood. You see a perfectly timed photo of a three-year-old Danny in his phantom form learning how to fly, or trying to. You then glance at a photo of a six-year-old Danny stopping time on a little ghost bird that was flying by, or at least that's how it appeared in the photo. You then see a picture of a birthday party or at least a cake with candles. The party picture had a seven-year-old Danny with a nine-year-old Jazz with Nocturne standing behind the girl and Clockwork standing behind Danny. You smile at the atypical family in the photo.

Before you could look at another photo you hear Clockwork say, "Now's not the time to be looking into the past. Now is the time to be looking into the present." You turn to the Master of Time, just in time to see him shifting into his adult age form, with a curious look on your face.

With an all-knowing smile, Clockwork simply said, "Ah, yes, your questions. I know you have many, mostly pertaining to myself, Nocturne, and Walker, right." You knew he wasn't saying that as a question, you knew he was saying that as a statement. And from what you can tell, he seemed to already know what your questions are and the answers to them. "Yes, they are very good questions, all with very good answers, but I cannot give you those answers at the moment." That already answered the question of Clockwork already knowing the inquiries you were going to ask.

You asked Clockwork why he cannot answer those questions and why he even brought to you to his there in the first place.

Clockwork chuckled and amusement before saying, "Well, the why I brought you here is simple, Walker would have caught and arrested you for trespassing into his home."

Okay, you admitted that that was a valid point in that it would've happened if you stayed longer.

"And," Clockwork said, getting your undivided attention. He then added, "You are only to watch this timeline, but not interact in it. Although, you are probably better company than those Observents."

You couldn't help but wonder if the Master of Time was stating a fact or cracking a joke.

Clockwork chuckled when he said, "That's for you to decide."

You blinked. Had you said that out loud?

Clockwork only smiled when he said, "As for the questions I cannot answer." He waved his time staff, causing some of the clock faces to turn into screens. Each screen was playing a different event happening right now in both the Human World and the Ghost Zone.

Clockwork turns his attention back on you when he said, "Those are questions about what has happened in this timeline's past, are they not."

You nodded a yes.

Clockwork waved his index finger from side to side when he said, "The reason I cannot answer those questions of the past is because they will be answered in the future."

You ask what he means by that. After all, how can something that has happened in the past be answered in the future? It has already happened.

Clockwork chuckled when he said, "You'd be surprised by that answer."

You wondered why you even bothered asking. The Master of Time knew everything. Past, present, future, and anything that can and can't happen.

Clockwork held his staff in front of him when he said, "Perhaps it'll be best to watch the present while you learn the concept of finding the past in the future."

You still don't understand what he means by that.

With that, Clockwork taps the top of his time staff as he said, "Time in."

~}i{ End Prologue }i{~


End file.
